


The Priestess Among Paladins (And More!)

by Little_Stargazer



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale, Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-29
Updated: 2018-09-29
Packaged: 2019-07-18 22:46:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16128317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Little_Stargazer/pseuds/Little_Stargazer
Summary: Oneshot series featuring our favorite Miko with the characters of V:LD.





	1. Talk To Me

**Author's Note:**

> Ratings/Themes will vary.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own either series. Each belongs to their rightful owners.

It was late and nearing curfew when Kagome was finally heading back to her room- well, the place she shared with her brother, that was. She had run papers to several people for him after an already long day, and she wanted to just sleep now.

She let out a yawn, lifting a hand to cover her mouth as she kept walking. A figure heading the opposite direction entered her line of sight, but she opted to ignore him. She wasn't familiar with him, but she could tell that he was a few years older than her.

She walked past him, or she tried to. He stepped in her way, blocking her path, and she came to an abrupt halt with a faint look of annoyance flashing across her face at being stopped.

"May I help you?" she asked, trying as hard as she could to remain polite. Man, it had been a long day, and this guy wouldn't like her when she wasn't happy.

"How about I walk you to your room, sweetheart?" he asked, and Kagome bit her tongue to keep from saying what she wanted to.

"No thanks," she said. "Don't call me sweetheart, either. We don't know each other, though, so I'll let it slide this time."

"What's your name, then?"

"Kagome," she said as she tried to step around him. He followed her, and her forced smile turned into an impolite scowl. "Get out of my way," she demanded.

"That's not nice," he said with a frown. "You look so sweet, but you're so cold."

"You look like a dumbass," she snapped back. "I've had a long day, and I want to go to bed. Now, get out of my way."

"Let me walk you back to your room- that's all I want," he said. He offered her a smile that was meant to disarm her, but it only served to make her more annoyed.

"I don't want you to," she said through clenched teeth. "I am perfectly capable of making it back to my room on my own. I've done it tons of time."

"I insist."

She glared at him but heaved an exhausted sigh. "It's like I'm talking to a brick wall…" she muttered under her breath. She knew this wouldn't end unless she gave in, so, despite not wanting to, she gave in and agreed to him walking her back. "Fine," she snapped.

Kagome stepped around him when he let her, and she took to leading the way. He attempted to keep some form of conversation alive between them, but she rejected all of it. There was a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach, and she didn't ignore it. She kept her guard up with each step, and when they reached the door, she wasted no time in opening it.

She blinked in confusion at noticing the lacking presence there, and she realized that her brother must have stepped out for a while. She made a mental note to keep a light on for him as she made her way inside.

A weight colliding against her back while she was distracted took her by surprise. She let out a startled yelp, only for a hand to get clamped over her mouth. His other hand grasped at her breasts. Without thinking, she reeled her elbow back and rammed it into his ribcage to get his grip to loosen.

Kagome snatched herself away from him and backed up a few paces. She had to hold herself back from punching him in his nose as she stared him down, her eyes challenging him to try and touch her again.

"Bitch!" he snapped at her, and she let out a dry laugh.

"Touch me one more time and I'll show you a bitch," she snapped back at him. "Get the fuck out before your face gets a permanent imprint of my shoe stamped into it."

Her words got him to back down. He left with one last insult to her, and she slammed the door shut. She felt the impulse to chase him down and get a good hit in, but she refrained from doing so.

She glared at the door for a few moments before turning to head to the bathroom so she could get ready for bed.

She was brushing her teeth when she heard the door open. She cleaned her mouth and set her things down as she peeked out of the bathroom. Her eyes landed on Shiro, her brother, and she bit her lip as she debated on telling him what happened.

Shiro noticed her attention placed on her, and he came to a halt in the center of the room. He saw her troubled expression, and a frown appeared on his face. "You okay?" Shiro asked his sister when he looked at her.

Kagome jolted some at hearing his voice, and she quickly nodded her head as she turned around and made her way to her room. Shiro's frown deepened at her actions. "I'm fine," she said, choosing to not say anything. "Goodnight, Takashi."

* * *

She hadn't been familiar with that guy in the slightest, but that wasn't a strange thing. After everything she had been through in her months in the past, she wasn't keen on forming a large circle of friends. She kept to her minimalistic group, which consisted of Takashi- her older brother, and Keith- the guy who was like a brother to her at this point.

When it happened, she found herself unable to let herself talk to either of them out of her own embarrassment. Just thinking about it made her feel vulnerable, and that was a feeling she loathed with every fiber of her being. She prided herself in being put-together and composed. She didn't want that image of her to fall so suddenly.

She had told herself multiple times that it wasn't a big deal, but she knew it was. Thinking otherwise made her feel awful on the inside, and that showed on her outside. It was a frequent thought in her mind, and it steadily ate at her until she couldn't hold it in anymore. When she finally had to talk about it to someone, she picked her friend over her brother, thinking him to be the better choice at this moment. She hadn't, however, accounted for her friend's  _excessively_  bad temper.

"He did  _what_?" Keith looked at her with an unreadable expression on his face as they sat next to each other in the canteen. She had finally decided to talk to him about it, a week after the incident had occurred. "Does anyone know?"

"... Just you," she mumbled into her palm. "I don't know how to talk about it," she admitted. The guy in question sat on the other side of the room with a few other people she didn't know. She didn't know his name, but she knew his face. "I know I should tell Takashi, but… I dunno…"

"Who the hell does he think he is?" he growled under his breath. Keith stood up, and Kagome latched onto his arm before he could step away.

"Don't do whatever you're thinking of doing," she pleaded with him. "You'll get in trouble if you do."

"He can't just get away with it!" he snapped back at her. "If you're not going to do something, then I will."

"You don't have to!" she said. "I don't want you to get in trouble because of this, Keith."

He looked at her for an entire minute before sighing and nodding his head. "Fine," he mumbled. He didn't sit down, though. Instead, he grabbed her lunch tray. "I'll dump your tray for you so you don't have to go near him."

"... Thank you?" she tilted her head to the side, confused about his actions. It was a nice offer, yes, but it was also strange. Kagome watched him as he dumped her trash into the garbage can, expecting him to take it to where others had been stacked already. Her assumption had been wrong, however, and she ended up watching as he walked straight over to the guy in question.

Without missing a beat, Keith called out to him to obtain his attention before he slammed the tray against his face with enough force that it knocked him completely from his seat. The cafeteria went silent as Keith dropped the tray to the ground.

Kagome felt her mouth drop open as she sat in shock over what she had just witnessed. She stood from her seat as the guy got up from the ground, and she ran towards them as a fight broke out between them.

"Stop!" she cried, diving between them and shoving Keith out of the way of a punch. Keith eventually held back when she kept getting in the way, but the other guy didn't. When he hit her jaw with a punch, the hit causing her to stagger back and nearly hit the ground if not for Keith catching her by her arms, the commotion that had been stirred up fell completely as a low murmur spread through the gathered crowd.

Her rage from her previous interaction with him returned to her. It found strength in her anger at getting hit. Without any hesitation, Kagome knelt forward and picked the lunch tray up from where it had been under her feet. She brought it down on his face with enough force that the plastic broke into two halves.

"I said  _ **stop**_  you stupid motherfucker!" she screamed as she dropped the end she held.

* * *

"Miss Shirogane, the next time something like that happens, you need to come talk to one of us. We will handle it accordingly."

Kagome could only nod at the woman's words. She had confessed to what had happened to her last week once she had been called into the office. Her brother had been in there waiting already.

"That sort of behavior is not tolerated here- at all," she added on. "Neither is fighting, might I add."

"I understand, Ma'am," Kagome mumbled as she kept from meeting her stare.

"You may be excused," she said, and Kagome wasted no time in leaving the office. Shiro followed a few paces behind her. As they stepped out, the boy was called in. That left Shiro with both Keith and Kagome. He looked them over before sighing and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Both of you come with me," he said. They silently followed after him all the way back to the room Shiro and Kagome shared. He pointed them to the couch, and they sat down next to one another.

"Kagome," he started, speaking to his sister first. "I need you to talk to me the next time something like that happens," he said. "I don't care if you consider it severe or minor, you tell me and  _I_  will take care of it. Don't bury it down, because you're just going to hurt yourself and let him get away with it if you do that."

"I know," she mumbled, downcasting her gaze to her lap to keep from meeting his stare. "I just…" she bit her lip as she felt tears prick in her eyes.

Shiro took her hand in his own and gave it a firm squeeze. "I understand." He looked at Keith next with a dry smile on his face. "If Kagome comes to you with a problem like this, next time you tell me about it, too. Don't go slamming someone's face with a lunch tray again."

He knew he should scold Keith for doing something like that, but he just couldn't make himself do it- especially since it had been to a guy that had touched his baby sister. Praising him would be extremely inappropriate, but scolding didn't feel right, either.

"I understand," Keith said.

"Good," Shiro stood from his crouching position as that got wrapped up, but, before he stepped away from the pair, he stopped himself and looked at Kagome. "I have one question though, Kagome."

"Huh?" she blinked and looked up in confusion.

"Why did  _you_  choose to hit him with the lunch tray?"

"A simple punch wouldn't have hurt him enough. He groped my boobs that night, and he punched me today," she said. "He's just lucky I didn't have a cement block within grabbing distance."

Shiro nodded at hearing those words come from her. "Fair enough."


	2. The Best Friend (Request)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested:  
> KK05013(Fanfiction.net)  
> "...can I request a chapter where after being in space for awhile Kagome realizes that she's developed feelings for Keith, who's been her friend since before her brother Shiro disappeared on the Kerberos mission. Wether she confesses to Keith or not is your choice. Thank you~"
> 
>  /Slightly modified Kagome's age for when she got pulled down the well. She was pulled down a few days before her 14 birthday instead of 15 for this.)  
> /s6 spoilers.

Her very first crush had been the worst type of person to love. Her half-demon companion had been the first person to successfully win her heart over without him ever realizing it, only for it all to end in pain and heartache for her as he continuously put her down through the year she spent running through the past.

" _Kikyo would never make so many dumb mistakes!"_

" _A jewel shard detector is all you are!"_

" _You get in the way and can't even save your own ass!"_

She could still hear him saying each insult to her as if he was still right next to her, even though she wasn't even on Earth anymore. Admittedly, she had a lot of self-esteem prior to falling down the well, but it all had nearly been cut down into nothing once she had been faced with all of his mean words. Even if he never truly meant them, they still hurt just as much.

Why had she ever fallen for such an awful companion? Friend or not, he certainly wasn't a good partner. They had fought often and he always got jealous whenever Koga came around to show her even a sliver of attention. Yet… he ran off to Kikyo countlessly without ever telling her, and he expected her to be all smiles when she found out.

Everything he had done to her had hurt her heart greatly, and that pain still remained even three years later.

At eighteen, here she was on another mind-blowing adventure. Out in space with a new group, fighting off aliens with mechanical lions that formed a giant robot.

Among them was Keith, her best friend. They had been through a lot together. The very first time she had met him had been when she was fifteen. It was after the well had gotten sealed up, and she had gone to stay with her older brother at her mother's suggestion. They were the same age, and they got along well, despite Keith's poor track record for making friends- let alone getting along with others.

She never officially attended the Galaxy Garrison, but they permitted her to stay with Shiro in his quarters just as long as she didn't snoop around or cause any problems for the cadets.

When Shiro had gotten picked for the Kerberos mission, she had conflicted emotions on it. On one hand, she was glad for him and wanted to encourage him to go, but… on the other hand, she was afraid. Things could go wrong, and it could end with her never seeing him again.

Her fears were put into a fresh light when the error got announced, and the three aboard the ship had been presumed dead. Things went from terrible to horrible in the following days when her abilities got found out. Though Shiro worked hard to keep her secrets hidden from those around her, she had slipped up in his absence and let herself get discovered.

She was still young and poorly trained, so she couldn't stop herself when it happened. While she was carrying a few things for the higher-ups there, she had tripped and cut the full length of her arm on a sharp piece of metal. The concern that had started when the blood had gotten spotted turned into curious alarm when the deep gash healed itself closed in under three seconds while everyone watched. She was unable to explain herself before she was taken to a laboratory and locked in there without a viable escape route.

As she feared for the worst to happen to her, Keith broke into the room later that evening and took her from the building, pulling her along under the cover of shadows. It was as he led her further away that she learned he had gotten kicked from the Garrison.

…

Kagome let out a soft sigh as she stared up at the ceiling above her bed. It was late at night. By now, most of everyone else would already be asleep, but her emotions were keeping her wide awake. It wasn't good that she was still awake, because she needed her sleep, too. The Paladins needed her to be at her best, and she didn't want to accidentally let them down.

She sat up and let her feet brush against the floor as she buried her face in her palms with a low whine falling from her lips. She remained like that for a few minutes before she picked her head up just enough for her to rub her eyes.

"Why does this have to happen?" she questioned herself with accusation lining her words as if she blamed herself for every feeling she felt. "Don't you know by now that you're not good enough?" she hissed with anger filling her voice. "You don't have time to be this stupid."

Her words did nothing to melt the feelings in her heart, however.

She hated herself for this feeling.

She hated herself for falling in love with her  _best friend._  They were meant to be friends- they were like family! She couldn't be  _in_  love with Keith! … yet she was.

Her full realization of these feelings had come a few days ago while she had been watching him go through the Blade of Marmora trial. She never knew how strong her feelings for him were until she saw him in so much pain. She was ready to take down anyone and everyone that got in her way just to get down there to him- even her own brother when he stepped in to stop her from fighting anyone.

When she was finally able to go to him, she had done the only thing she could think to do and that was hold him as close as she possibly could. When they had gotten back on the ship, she did the one thing that presented itself to her- completely avoid him.

She didn't want to face him after her display. She couldn't face him after that. He hadn't come to try and find her, so she thought that maybe she had annoyed him in holding him so suddenly. Shiro, Allura, Pidge, Hunk, Lance and even Coran all had attempted to pull her out of her room throughout the past few days, but not Keith.

Tears stung in her eyes as she bent forward and curled her arms around her legs, falling to the floor in a pitiful little ball.

She didn't want to ruin their friendship just because she liked him more than she should, but she couldn't keep this feeling buried inside her or else it'd make being around him that much harder.

She wasn't good enough to be loved for who she was yet- she was still as useless as she had been when she was fighting demons. The only difference was that she was steadily getting stronger.

"I get in the way and make things worse…" she mumbled to herself as her tears finally broke free. "Why am I like this?"

* * *

It was early in the morning when she left her room finally. It was quiet everywhere she went, and she realized that almost everyone else was still asleep. She hadn't gotten any sleep at all, and she instead chose to walk around to try and clear her mind.

She stepped into the sitting room of the castle, only to freeze when she saw Keith sitting on one side of the couch. He had been awake and looked up when she entered. Their eyes met for a brief second before he looked away, and she felt her heart squeeze painfully in her chest.

"Hey," Keith called out to her after a few moments of silence had ticked by.

"... hi," she mumbled back, feeling awkward and unsure as she forced her feet to move. She walked over to a spot a little ways away from where he was and sat down. "Couldn't sleep either?" she asked.

She was answered with silence, and she looked up at him with worry shining in her cerulean eyes.

He had learned that he was half-Galran due to the trial, and she assumed that it was a lot for him to take in. After all, all this time they had been fighting against the Galra Empire. Learning that you're half of something you're fighting against must not feel all that refreshing.

"Keith?" she spoke up again when she got no answer. She was about to try again when he suddenly looked right at her. She tensed up and sat back as he leveled his attention on her.

"I don't blame you if you hate me now," he said, much to her complete surprise.

"What are you talking about?" Kagome frowned in confusion. Why would she hate him? She was battling with the opposite emotion when it came to him.

"I'm… part Galra, aren't I?" he said as if it explained everything. "Isn't that why you've been avoiding me?" Her frown deepened as she sat up some and reached out so she could set her hand on his own.

"I could never hate you," she said. "You… You're the best friend that I have  _ever_  had," she admitted. "You broke me out of the Garrison Laboratory when they were going to do god knows what to me." She scooted closer to him and laughed, "so what if you're part alien?"

He was silent as she said that, and she let out a sigh. Was this how he took her distance from him? That she hated him now? She felt guilty by just thinking that…

"Nothing has changed," she said then. She gripped his hand tighter and swallowed down her hidden feelings for him. "You are  _always_  going to be my best friend, Keith. Part Galra or not, nothing will ever put a wedge between us."

When she pulled him closer to her and curled her arms around him, she squeezed him tight against her chest as she pushed her feelings down deeper.

She couldn't tell him- even if she wanted to.

Not now, at least.

* * *

When Keith left to take his place among the Blade of Marmora, she did the only thing she could do, and that was to encourage him to do what he felt was right. Her heart felt heavy after he was gone, and she ended up worrying about him more than she was willing to voice.

When Lotor sided with them, things started going in a direction she had never seen coming. She found herself trusting him despite all of the odds. She found a friend in him, and she began to genuinely like him. She somehow managed to get along with him. She began to trust him enough to expose more and more of her powers to him. Her capability of healing others and herself, her purification skills, and even her barrier creation.

He was amazed by it all and thirsted for more knowledge about it. She liked having someone so interested in what she could do, so she willingly showed him and let him observe what she had kept hidden from so many people in her life.

It distracted her from her constant worrying about Keith, and, even though she still loved him with every single part of her, she was able to push that to the back of her mind.

…

"You are quite the amazing woman, Kagome," Lotor said as he glanced down at her with a gentle-looking smile on his face. "I've never heard of someone with your prowess before. I would be honored if you were to show me more."

She felt her cheeks heat up at those words and she slowly nodded her head. That was the first time anyone had ever complimented her in such a way. She was used to remembering how Inuyasha would drag her for being terrible at her abilities.

"If you're really interested then I see no issue in letting you observe," she said as she grinned up at him. Unbeknownst to her, Lance stood in the background glaring at Lotor as he reached for her hand. "How about we head to the training deck?" she offered. "I don't think I've ever shown you my weapons, now that I think about it."

Unlike her friends, she didn't use physical items for weapons. Instead, she crafted them out of her energy. It was something she had taught herself, and she was quite proud of that skill.

"That's an excellent idea," he responded and was about to take her by her hand when Lance stepped in by tugging her towards him.

"Uh, no no," he wagged his finger. "I need to talk to Kagome about something. You go ahead. She'll catch up once we're done talking," he said with a stern look on his face. Kagome looked up at Lotor, spotting his clearly unamused expression, and she bit back a laugh.

"You go ahead," she encouraged. "I'll catch up to you in a moment."

"Very well," Lotor said as he turned on his heel and left them standing there. Pidge and Hunk left the room too, chattering about something with one another. It left just Lance and herself in the room, and she turned to give him a curious stare.

"What's wrong, Lance?" she asked.

"Uh  _what's wrong_?" he repeated those words, much to her confusion, before he threw his hands up into the air. "Are you really that oblivious?" he asked.

"Seriously Lance, you're scaring me," she said.

"Lotor is totally trying to put the moves on you!" he accused. It was silent between them for a few minutes before Kagome erupted into a boisterous fit of giggles at the idea alone.

"That has to be the craziest thing you've ever said- and you've had a few gems before," she managed to say before laughing harder. "He's not. He just wants to observe my abilities- that's it."

"Oh,  _sure_ ," he folded his arms over his chest as he looked at her with disbelief in his eyes. "You can't see it, but I can. He's into you. You can't let him win you over, Kagome!"

"I can promise you that it will never happen," she snorted and rolled her eyes. "Anyway, there is someone I already love. Just because someone shows me a little attention doesn't mean I'll suddenly fall for them."

"Wait… what?" Lance looked stunned at hearing her say those words, and Kagome could account for her error right then and there. "Who is it?" he asked in a curious whisper.

Kagome let out a sigh, realizing then and there that she would not get out of this conversation. Well, he wasn't here right now, was he? So it wouldn't hurt to tell  _someone._  At the very least, it'd get those feelings off her chest. "It's... Keith," she mumbled out. "I'm in love with Keith."

She looked up after a minute or two of undisturbed silence. Her eyes met Lance's utterly shocked face. The last time she had seen him this surprised had been when he finally learned that Pidge was actually a girl...

"No freaking way!" Lance shouted suddenly, and she jumped at his abrupt change in attitude. "No freaking way!  _No_ _ **freaking**_   _way_!" She stood, stunned as he looked her straight in the eye. "You love Kei- _mmph_!" she slapped her hand over his mouth before he could finish saying his name

"Shut up, dummy!" she hissed at him. "Pidge and Hunk are still standing outside this room! I don't need everyone on the ship to know!"

* * *

She felt so… so stupid! She had trusted Lotor, but she had made a mistake in doing so. Because of that, the rest of them all had started to trust him, too. She felt like she was to blame for this, even if she wasn't.

She should have been able to see through his deception, but she hadn't. She had fallen for it, and now all she had to show was a wounded heart.

She felt Krolia's hand on her shoulder, and she sighed as she offered the woman a half-smile.

The fight with Lotor left them in a bad position. The Castle of Lions was gone, but that meant that the road back to Earth was ahead of them. Earth was the only place they could find the blueprints to rebuild it.

… but despite all the awful, there was some good. She had her brother back, and Keith was back, as well. Though she thought about the positives, she still felt awful about Lotor. Saving him had been impossible, and, even if he had deceived them, she still lost someone she had thought of as a genuine friend. And it  _hurt_.

It crossed her mind to finally tell Keith her feelings for him, wondering if it would just be better to get it over with before even  _more_  happened. She stepped away from Krolia, only to gasp when Lance swooped over to her and pushed her forward some so she would walk along with him.

"Yes?" she asked.

Lance looked at her and grinned.

"So, are you gonna tell Keith you love him yet?" he asked her out loud, completely  _forgetting_  about the group that stood just a few paces away from them. The color drained from her face at hearing him, and her heart thumped around in her chest at hearing everyone else fall silent at hearing Lance's words.

"... what?" Keith's voice was soft as he let those words sink into his head. He turned to face the pair that stood with their backs facing the rest of them.

" _ **What**_?" Shiro's voice came next, despite that he still sat on the ground he had woken up on. He was alert enough to hear those words, that was for sure.

Her cheeks turned a deep red and she looked at Lance with a look of utter disbelief.

" _Lance_!" Kagome slapped him on his arm as she reeled away from him. "I can't believe you just did that!"

"What? That I totally stole your moment?" he laughed in response.


	3. Ghost Of You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> /Character death.

There was something so bittersweet about memories. They could be sprung by the simplest of things most of the time, no matter how random or strange it was. Happy or sad, they were all the same. They came back the same way and left such an impact in their wake.

The faint scent of wisteria and cherry blossoms was enough to steal his breath from him, and he nearly dropped his things and crumbled at the achingly familiar combination. He couldn't tell where it came from, from that empty spot in the hall, but he couldn't stop himself from staying right there and breathing deeply for a few minutes as he attempted to place its origins.

It seemed to come from nowhere, yet everywhere at the same time. It surrounded him and clung to every fiber of his clothing. He closed his eyes as the scent remained, even after several minutes ticked by. The ache in his chest hurt worse as he stayed standing there. He was afraid to move, afraid that if he took even a single step, then the lingering aroma would vanish forever.

There was only one person he could ever correlate that smell to. Never them on their own, but only when they were combined.

_Crystal-clear blue eyes and long black hair stood out against porcelain skin. She was skipping ahead of him with the basket held firmly on one arm. A soft chatter fell nonstop from her lips as she marched down the street with her eyes focused on one spot._

" _I'm so happy that you agreed to do this, Takashi!" She let out an excited squeal. "I always thought that picnics were such a cute thing for couples to do."_

_He laughed in response. 'Well, if you're happy, Kagome, then so am I," he replied honestly. The garden was not far from where they stood, and he looked down at the small girl as she excitedly searched out a spot for them. He had a checkered blanket over one arm, and on his other hung her large bag._

" _Let's sit there!" Kagome finally decided, pointing a finger towards a large tree surrounded by a sea of flowers. He agreed with her choice, and he followed along after her. He set the blanket down and the both of them settled down next to one another._

_The garden was full of visitors, as it often always was, and there were several others on their own picnic dates._

_Shiro looked at Kagome, who was focused on opening a bottle of juice. A soft breeze of wind pushed a unique scent his way, and it confused him upon smelling it. Among the plants surrounding them, none of them were what he smelled._

" _You're wearing a new perfume, aren't you?" he asked. His question got her attention, and she looked up at him with a joyful smile on her face._

" _Yeah, I got it a few days ago. Do you like it?" she asked._

" _I think it's great," he said as he took the cup she held out to him. "The scent really suits you, if you ask me."_

_There was a warm hue on her face at hearing those words, but her smile was still prominent on her face._

_Wisteria and cherry blossoms…_

The scent seemed to open the floodgates, and it brought on an onslaught of memories of those moments to the front of his mind. The good, the happy, and the bad… they all came back to him. It was overwhelming, and the sting of tears in his eyes paired with the pain he felt caused him to stagger back.

" _Kagome, you sure know how to pick a man!"_

_At her mother's voice, Kagome ducked her head down to hide from Shiro. Though, as she did so, a low, embarrassed whine of, "Mom!" came from her. In response, her mother laughed and clapped her hands a few times._

" _Oh, what? I'm only stating the truth!" she responded as she stepped a bit closer to Shiro. "It's so nice to meet you," she said. "Kagome-chan always writes home bragging about you, you know!"_

" _Mama!" Kagome let out a horrified gasp at hearing her say that. "That's personal!"_

_Despite the embarrassment she felt, Shiro laughed at her mother's actions. He bowed to greet her and smiled at the older woman. "I'm glad that I finally got the chance to meet you. She talks about you just as much, just so you know."_

" _Not you too!" she mumbled, burying her face in her palms as she gave a lower whine._

_Kun-Loon smiled at her daughter before she wove around her to march up to Shiro so that she stood right in front of him. Without waiting, she began to poke and prod at his muscles with a giddy smile on her face. "Kagome, don't be so shy! You're a lucky girl."_

_Kagome sighed and shook her head. "Why is this going exactly the way I thought it would on the flight over here?" she mumbled under her breath._

" _If anyone is lucky, then it's me," Shiro said then. "Each moment I get to spend with Kagome, I'm reminded just how lucky I am to know her."_

_Her expression swapped to surprise at hearing those words. Her eyes were wide as she looked at him. As her expression softened into a warm smile, she could feel the warm hue leaking back onto her cheeks. "Takashi…"_

_. . . . . . . . . ._

_With an exhausted groan, Shiro finally opened the door that led to their shared quarters. As soon as he stepped inside, his eyes swept over the main room in search of the woman that would usually be sitting out and waiting for him. There was the faint sound of running water in the bathroom, and he turned towards there at spotting the still-open door._

" _Kagome?" he called out, pausing outside the door to get her approval that he could enter. He waited for a few seconds before calling her name again, only to get no response. It was then that he felt a small surge of worry, and he peeked his head into the bathroom. She was in there, on her knees and with her head resting on the side of the tub. Water soaked the linoleum floor, the running water from the faucet spilling over the side once no more could be held in the tub._

_He nearly slipped on the wet floor as he darted to her side. As soon as he touched her, his heart began to pound even harder when he felt her cold skin. She was not breathing. She had no pulse. He reached to turn the water off and pull her against him, searching for any and all wounds she might have on her head, only for his search to come up empty._

_There was no stain of red against her skin, and there was no tint of red in the water that filled the bathroom._

_Something hot brushed against his hand when he pressed his palm to her chest, and he reached to open the top of her sleep shirt. He couldn't suppress the cry of fear and shock at spotting the black and rotting skin that covered her chest. In the middle of it was that pink jewel she had once told him about, the Shikon no Tama._

_A few soiled bandages were present in the waste bin beside the sink, and he was able to remember her speaking nonchalantly about having a small injury on her chest that came and went. That it was something the jewel did, and that she knew how to handle it._

_He held her against him and buried his nose into her soaked hair, hoping that if he begged the jewel that it'd somehow bring her back. No matter how many times he pleaded for her to stay, nothing changed._

He made it back to his quarters without breaking. Once there, he turned and closed the door. After a few deep breaths, he could still place the faint scent, and, while it made him sad, it also made him feel happy at being able to smell it again.

Shiro went over to the couch, about to sit down on it when a gleam of something sparkling resting on the counter caught his eye. He went over to it, only to feel his blood run cold at seeing  _what_  it was.

The pink jewel hanging from the sterling silver chain made him feel like he was staring at something from a nightmare. He had, for the most part, forgot about it being in his possession now, seeing as he kept it buried in a box behind the books on the top shelf of his bookshelf.

How had it gotten out here? He was about to snatch the horrid object up when a faint, haunting whisper burned in his ear. At once, that tantalizingly familiar scent brushed along him again. It was much stronger than before.

" _ **You hide it away, don't you? Out of sight, out of mind, I suppose. I wish that really worked."**_

The soft, bell-like voice invading the quietness of his quarters made him tense up. He turned to search the source out, only to freeze when his eyes met transparent blue.

" _ **If you really wanted it gone, you should have let it get buried with my body, you know."**_

"K… Kagome?"

Long dark hair and blue eyes against porcelain skin, though all somewhat see-through, brought a suffocating pressure to his chest. Though the area was cold, almost freezingly so, he suddenly felt so hot. She craned her head to the side before offering him that same, tender smile.

" _ **I don't blame you for wanting to forget about me,"**_ she said, almost as though she didn't acknowledge him speaking. " _ **I always wanted to do the same thing to that bauble, you know. It's a horrible little thing that brings awful things out."**_

"Kagome, please-!"

" _ **I suppose the only reason you chose to keep it was because my mother gave it to you before the funeral. Thank you for comforting her like you did- my brother, too. My father tried to, but they weren't able to feel his touch."**_  Clear streams dripped down her transparent cheeks as she shook her head. " _ **Just like you couldn't feel mine all these years…"**_

He made a grab for her, only to stumble to the ground when he was met with no resistance. He sat on his knees as he realized that he wouldn't be able to touch her. The tears from before came back stronger than ever and he cupped his head in his hands. "I don't want to forget you! I never want to forget you!'

She materialized before him again, this time kneeling in front of him with her tears still dripping down her cheeks.

"Why didn't you tell me what it was doing to you? You pushed us all away because of what? You didn't want to see us worry about you?

" _ **There was nothing to be done, Takashi,"**_  she finally acknowledged his words, and he darted his attention back to her. " _ **The burden of the Shikon no Tama always falls on the bearer of it. It affects us all differently, in truth. I'm sorry that it was placed on your shoulders in my absence. That suffocating feeling you have at the thought of me… at the thought of us… that's the jewel feeding off your pain. I should know…"**_

She glanced back at the jewel before sighing and shaking her head.

" _ **It's made its roots in your heart, in your soul. It won't let go, no matter how little you have to do with it."**_  She offered him another smile as she leaned towards him, placing her hands over his own. " _ **But don't worry… I won't let it do to you what it did to me… I'll protect you from it, even if you never see me or hear me. I have been doing that for so long already. I'm so glad that I had the strength to tell you this like I am."**_

Shiro felt his heart clench at hearing her say those words. It hurt more at seeing her smile all over again. "You can't go.. Don't… don't leave. You can't leave me..."

" _ **Just because you can't see me, that doesn't mean I'm gone."**_  She closed her eyes and nodded. " _ **You need to be strong, you know. Even if you don't look after yourself as well as I'd like for you to, there is that boy who looks up to you. He… he cares a lot about you, and he needs you to stay in his life."**_

At hearing her mention Keith his breath snagged in his throat. During her life, she had never met him, but it felt so relieving to hear her mention him.

" _ **Then there's the Kerberos mission you've been selected for…"**_  Her tone was weighed down before she shook her head. " _ **You have so much left to your life, Takashi. Don't let it go to waste. I still have hope to see you fall in love again! Though… whoever it is, he or she just better be good to you or else I'll haunt them as the vicious ex-girlfriend."**_

Those words made him laugh, despite the way he still cried before her. "No one and I mean  _no one_  will ever fill the hole you left in my heart. I don't know if I ever want to love someone else the way I loved you," he admitted.

" _ **There is someone out there for everyone."**_  She said as she pulled her hands away. " _ **You'll realize one day that just because you were that person for me, doesn't mean that I was that person for you."**_

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> Requests welcome!  
> As I moved this one from my Fanfiction account when I decided to leave that site behind, I lost several of the requests. I made note of several of them, though, so I will try to write them, as well.


End file.
